Right in the centre - Peace among nations and at home

Details

Published on Thursday, December 18, 2014

By Ken Waddell

The Neepawa Banner

Normally at Christmas time, an editor might write about the birth of Baby Jesus, the Son of God coming to earth as a baby. It’s usual to point out that Jesus is Our Saviour, come to earth to save mankind from sin and death. The story is well known, just not well followed.

The Bible, the Word of God, is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament it says in the book of Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”

In the New Testament, in Luke 22:20 it says. “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’”

The gospel message is summarized in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

That pretty much covers the essence of the gospel message as it applies to individuals. Many millions of people over the past two thousand years have come to find salvation, solace and peace  of mind in that simple message.

The Old Testament is largely a history book and at times a very sad and sorry tale of how individuals and nations struggled along trying to do things their own way. When, upon rare occasion, they followed God’s teachings, they prospered but when they didn’t, as was the most oft-repeated case, they stumbled very badly. There were lots of battles, death, sin and vengeful retribution in the Old Testament times.

In the New Testament, God’s revealed plan for individuals talks about love, redemption and peace on earth. For millions of people, that message has sunk in, been adopted and is, at least to some extent, being lived out daily.

So why don’t we have peace on earth?

I believe it’s because nations and some individuals are still living under the Old Testament law. You know, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Everything is a battle, a fight.

Few, if any countries have adopted the New Testament. Recent allegations of torture conducted by the United States, their armed forces and the CIA show that the U.S.A. is definitely still in the OT mode. Islamic extremist forces are very obviously in OT mode. Until countries get in the NT mode, we will never have peace.

Countries could operate in NT mode.  A country needs a strong military to defend its sovereignty against aggression but as has been pointed out recently, torture shouldn’t be part of the operation. Besides, it gains little valuable information and generates a huge amount of hatred and malice. It’s both wrong and counter-productive is so many ways

Countries should not be torturing prisoners, should not have a capital punishment policy, should not have even a corporal punishment policy. Countries should treat enemies and prisoners with respect. God knows that a 100 centuries of killing, beating and torturing hasn’t gained us much.

I am no pacifist. If person attacks me, I will defend. If a country attacks mine, I will defend. But when it comes to us doing that attacking, us doing the torture, the beatings, the executions, I say no way.

Let me give two good examples from WWII. There were many cases of German Prisoners of war being well treated in Canadian POW camps. That message sent the home with a good view of Canada and in some case they stayed or immigrated to Canada. Today our relationship with Germany is generally positive. By the same token, if Allied prisoners were taken by regular German troops, they were treated a lot better than if the were taken by the German SS troops.

In Matthew 22 we hear Jesus explaining “The Greatest Commandment.” 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

You can’t claim to be a Christian country and initiate attacks and torture prisoners. Until countries figure that out we will never be at peace.